The frigate Iver Huitfeldt departed on January 29th towards the Suez and arrives today in the Red Sea to participate in the American-led defensive Operation Prosperity Guardian.
The goal is to secure the right to freedom of navigation through the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab strait, and the Gulf of Aden.
“The situation in and around the Red Sea remains deeply concerning. The Houthi attacks on international shipping have been ongoing for over two months now. It is positive that the Americans have taken the lead in Operation Prosperity Guardian, which Denmark, as a major maritime nation, naturally supports,” says Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.
In addition to a frigate for the defensive coalition, Denmark contributes a staff officer to the American-led offensive coalition, which carries out targeted actions against the Houthi movement to reduce its ability to attack shipping.
“It is crucial that we actively defend the right to freedom of navigation in cooperation with like-minded partners. If our trade routes are not secured, it can potentially have significant global consequences. Therefore, it is positive that the Danish frigate Iver Huitfeldt arrives in the Red Sea today, where it will protect civilian shipping from the repeated attacks of the Houthi movement. It is an unsustainable situation that requires a collective international response,” says Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
“The Houthi’s persistent attacks on shipping have created an unsustainable situation in the Red Sea, which the Danish frigate Iver Huitfeldt will contribute to resolving in the coming period. This is a sharp mission, where there may be a need to use armed force in self-defense and in the protection of civilian ships. But when I visited the frigate before departure and spoke with the crew, I was only confirmed that it is a task they are ready to undertake,” says Chief of Defense Flemming Lentfer.
Denmark participates in a range of maritime security initiatives in the region, including in the Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain and the European mission EMASoH in the Strait of Hormuz to protect navigation freedom in the area. With the mandate from the Danish Parliament, the frigate Iver Huitfeldt will also be able to participate in a new upcoming EU-led maritime operation in and around the Red Sea to strengthen maritime security.